January 07, 2004
INTERCEPT
MoveOn.org calls for a bunch of anti-Bush television ads ... and they end up being used by Republicans:
The two 30-second ads were submitted as part of a contest MoveOn.org sponsored. The organization invited submissions of spots criticizing Mr. Bush's record. Two of the submissions compared Mr. Bush to the Nazi dictator of Germany, whose regime killed 6 million Jews during World War II.
One ad used computer effects to morph a picture of Hitler into one of Mr. Bush.
Another ad compared Mr. Bush's push for war to oust Saddam Hussein in Iraq to Hitler's push for Nazi domination in Europe and said Hitler's war crimes are "2003's foreign policy."
The two Hitler ads are no longer on MoveOn.org's site since the contest ended at the end of 2003. But the Republican National Committee is making copies available on its own site.
One day -- possibly in 2005, or 2008, or 3729 -- the crazy left will learn that its tactics are self-destructive. Until then: BusHitler!
UPDATE. "I think my MoveOn.org ad was one of them that ticked off the RNC," writes Todd Mattson:
....and boy does that make my day. Thing is, I didn't really state that Bush is Hitler, nor do I believe that. I do, however, know that he has said some rather scary stuff, and his administration is hell bent on turning America into a police state.
A few votes go the wrong way in Florida and suddenly it’s East Germany. Right. Check out the rest of MoveOn’s anti-Bush ads, and the all-tard panel that will select a winner. Selected -- Not Elected!
Posted by Tim Blair at January 7, 2004 12:03 PM
Two people in the US really really hate Bush, not big news really. Some day people will stop calling those on the other side of a debate Nazis, and Goodwin's Law can finally be put to rest. At least Bush wasn't accused of having his friends killed a la Clinton. Until serious politicians or groups actually start using these tactics, it's a bit of a non-issue I think.
Posted by: _ at January 7, 2004 at 12:23 PMHey, blank, it's Godwin's law. As for the rest of what you say -- gee, yeah, it would be nice if the leftists (or whatever they are; I prefer "barking gorebots" myself) quit calling everyone who didn't agree with everything they say "Nazis," wouldn't it?
Posted by: Andrea Harris at January 7, 2004 at 12:49 PMBy the by, a quick stroll through the dingier corners of the Interweb will show that the Bushes have been accused of involvement in quite a string of rub-outs, up to and including that of JFK.
Though from what we know now, the latter might better be characterized as a mercy killing.
Posted by: Bruce at January 7, 2004 at 01:12 PMThe left invoking Godwin's Law as a response to Republican responses to their (the left's!) comparing Bush to Hitler is beyond parody. These people are nucking futs.
Posted by: Brian Jones at January 7, 2004 at 01:17 PMBrian, learn to spell. You clearly reversed the f and the n. Do we intelligent Libs have to do everything for you?
Stupid Nazis...
Posted by: N. Starkman at January 7, 2004 at 03:23 PMPeople who support Goodwin's Law are really just Nazis.
Posted by: Mike Hunt at January 7, 2004 at 03:50 PMI feel sorry for people who *were* victims of the *real* Nazi's (1930's - 40's). People have been calling others Nazi/Hitler so much this past year that it's lost it's horror.
The same thing happened to the word racist.
Those who suffered under Hitler's Nazis' and who have been victims of racism have had their suffering diminished somehow by those who toss Nazi/Racist/Hitler at someone they disagree with ideologically. They don't respect the victims of the real thing.
For those who equated any of the coalition leaders with Hitler/Nazi, what term did they use for Saddam and his "House of Horrors"?
Posted by: Chris Josephson at January 7, 2004 at 04:20 PM
[blank] = Hitler is just getting boring.
Let's start using other famous and mad dictators.
Dean = Caligula
Kerry = Atilla the Hun
Everyone come up with your own! Its fun(tm)
Um...Stalin?
Maybe we should start using Stalin and Mao in place of Hitler for a while, just to break up the routine. Pol Pot as well, perhaps.
Posted by: Big Dog at January 7, 2004 at 04:26 PMLet's see. This guy claims that Bush "has said some rather scary stuff..." so he uses those quotes in his ad.
Whoops, no he doesn't. He uses quotes from Teddy Roosevelt, Hermann Goering, and Benjamin Franklin, and then sandwiches two Bush quotes between them.
One was "There ought to be limits to freedom." This is something Bush really said during his presidential campaign, when suing a web site parodying it. His argument was that the parody site was misleading people into thinking it was his. There most certainly are limits to freedom, but seriously, this isn't the sort of thing you really want to get caught saying if you want to be POTUS.
The other Bush quote was "If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." Which is clearly a joke. He said it in reference to his first meeting with Congressional leaders after his inauguration.
So, we have one true (but dumb) thing, and one joke, and three (dubiously relevant) quotes from three other random people. BUSH = HITLER!
Posted by: Angie Schultz at January 7, 2004 at 04:28 PMBush= Hitler. The proof.
- They both killed millions of Jews. Apart from Bush.
- They both sought Lebenstraun for their respective volks. Except for Bush.
- They both toppled two vile dictatorships. Except for Hitler.
Right so are you right wing nazis going to deny these links?
Posted by: Ross at January 7, 2004 at 07:00 PMWhat's hysterical is how MoveOn.org are blaming the RNC for taking the gift and (gasp!) scoring political points with it. Dirty pool... Here's the deal: When some fuck-tard right-winger equates Howard Dean with Adolf Hitler on a high profile conservative website that doesn't have the decency to pull it instantly, I'll do what I usually do -laugh, mock and suggest corrective surgery with a blunt cake fork and no anaesthetic. Fair dos?
Posted by: Craig Ranapia (Other Pundit) at January 7, 2004 at 07:25 PMThere ARE limits to freedom. In short, your freedoms stop where mine begin. I don't think anyone would argue that one person's right to express himself by killing people would come second to the rights of his victims to live.
There ARE limits to freedom. In short, your freedoms stop where mine begin. I don't think anyone would argue that one person's right to express himself by killing people would come before the rights of his victims to live.
Dude. Somehow I hit "Preview" and "Post" at the same time. Sorry.
Bush = William Pitt the Younger
- Both the son of a previous leader.
- Both lead their countries in a war against a dictatorship (Pitt against Napoleonic France, Bush against Iraq)
- Both accused of being lightweight.
- Both were predicted to shortlived at the top, but confounded predictions. (Pitt's ministry, contrary to initial predictions, survived for seventeen years. )
- Both accused of squandering goodwill from France:
Bush after 9/11,
Pitt after expelling the French ambassador, was blamed by his rival Charles Fox for the war with France which began in 1793.
Hey, its a better analogy than any of the dickheads on MoveOn.org have come up with.
Posted by: Quentin George at January 7, 2004 at 07:45 PMThough Pitt the Elder had better quotes:
"If I were an American, as I am an Englishman; while a foreign troop was landed in my country, I never would lay down my arms - never - never - never!"
"You may ravage, you cannot conquer. It is impossible. You cannot conquer the Americans"
"Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it"
Some from Pitt the Younger were:
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom: it is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves"
"There is no principle of the laws of nations clearer than this, that, when in the cause of war any nation acquires new possessions, such nation has only temporary right to them, and they do not become property till the end of the war"
"On every principle by which men of justice and honour are actuated, it is the foulest and most atrocious deed which the history of the world has yet had occasion to attest" on the execution of Louis XVI of France
Posted by: Quentin George at January 7, 2004 at 07:49 PMPeople who wish to demonstrate how evil Pres. Bush is *do* need to find someone else in history. Nazi/Hitler is getting boring.
We have Stalin, Mao, Idi Amin, and most recently Saddam. I would have included Castro, but I don't think he's in quite the same league as the others, in terms of mass murder.
Posted by: Chris Josephson at January 7, 2004 at 08:07 PMQuentin George - Bearing in mind that I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a Bush supporter (but do wholeheartedly support the war on terror), James Taranto of the WSJ made a telling point on the subject of America (and/or Bush) "squandering" the goodwill of the world with our post-911 strikes at terrrorism: If the rest of the world only loves America when we are dying, then they can go to hell.
Posted by: Mark D. Firestone at January 7, 2004 at 10:24 PMQuentin love the Pitt the Younger/Elder quotes and I love the comparison between the Younger and Bush. It might interest you to know that William Hague MP (former leader of the Tory Party) is writing a biography of the great man.
My only problem is that every time I read PtY's words I hear the Black Adder (III) version. You know the one with PtY speaking with a high-pitched lisp?
Posted by: Andrew Ian Dodge at January 7, 2004 at 10:35 PMHow about:
BUSH = PROFESSOR MORIARTY
In Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, Moriarty, Holmes's mortal enemy, was an evil genius, who was behind most of the crime in London.
Nicholas Meyers wrote a modern Holmes novel, The Seven-Percent Solution in the 70s, in which we learn that Holmes's obsession with Moriarty was the result of his addiction to cocaine. (the seven-percent solution) Holmes became delusional, his chief delusion being his belief that Moriarty was the most evil man alive, and his mortal enemy.
The Bush analogy suggests that the Left sees Bush as the Moriarty of the Conan Doyle stories; others may see the demonization of Bush as a delusion, possibly drug-induced, as in the Meyers novel.
Robert Prather has a woman in his comments section using her big leftist brain to take on those criticizing MoveOn.org.
I really feel as if I'm posting to a board that wasn't created by human beings, but by neo-fascists who use whatever means to cover for their abhorrant behavior in politics.
There is factual evidence for comparing Bush to Hitler. Bush's family actually supported Hitler's regime.
You see you Republican Nazi Fascist pigs, it's the way those deluded balls hang between your legs waiting for your next dose of Viagra to keep up appearances that you are men. You are cowards, bastards, and your motivations are being exposed for what you are. Republican, low life slime, liars, pigs, waiting for the moment in history to maime, murder, innocent Americans who oppose the Dictator's policies! You hog tie them now, pigs, for protesting this vile Administration's violation of basic civil liberties and rights to protest the government's obscene policies around the world, one day fascist, lying pigs, you will be applying the same torture you use against other countries, to Americans.
I think somebody missed taking her medications today.
Earnie G. No, Moriarty was written as INTELLIGENT. The left absolutely CANNOT acknowledge that Bush has any intelligence. I thought it was Arnold that had a father with ties to Nazism.
Posted by: rabidfox at January 8, 2004 at 02:54 AMRabidfox,
I'm aware that my analogy may have shortcomings; most analogies do. It was something I came up with on the spur of the moment. I thought I'd share it with the group because...[drumroll please]...
A meme is a terrible thing to waste.
--There is factual evidence for comparing Bush to Hitler. Bush's family actually supported Hitler's regime.--
So did the Kennedys.
Posted by: Sandy P. at January 8, 2004 at 03:45 AMPlease, it's not like the right doesn't make the same Nazi-comparisons of its own miserably put in the NY post (with somewhat higher visability than moveon's website):
http://nypost.com/seven/01052004/postopinion/opedcolumnists/4965.htm
Must have gotten the marching orders from Rupert! ;-)
Or how about GOP chairman Gilespie comparing the estate tax to the holocaust??
A couple of the rest of the Moveon ads are spot on (the kids working to pay off the debt is pretty well done). Salon.com has their review (yes, they think some are lame) which you can read free after watching a quick commercial (I put them in the background while they run).
Moveon is doing on the left what the smaller groups on the right have been doing (remember all those smears on McCain about how he would trash the environment compared to Bush!).
Quid pro quo when making sport of nazi rantings buddy. ;-)
Posted by: Doc at January 8, 2004 at 03:50 AMBlank says, "At least Bush wasn't accused of having his friends killed a la Clinton."
Give us all a break, 'k? Your ignorance is showing. A number of threads on DemocraticUnderground, for one, have accused him and his family of countless murders, the most lurid of which are:
1) Putting 10,000 gallons of gasoline in the Trade Towers to ensure the airplanes they remotely flew into the Towers did enough damage to collapse them;
2) Killing Sen. Paul Wellstone;
3) Killing John Ashcroft's opponent when Ashcroft was running for Senate; and
4) Killing JFK.
Heck, Howard Dean practically accused the President of knowing about the 9/11 attacks in advance...and he's not an internet conspiracy wacko (well, at least not technically), he's your leading candidate for the Democrat nomination for President.
If one of President Bush's closest aides turned up in a D.C. park with a bullet in his brain, you scream yourself purple about how it was obvious that the BFEE (the Bush Family Evil Empire) murdered the aide.
Posted by: Jenna Talia at January 8, 2004 at 05:27 AMWhich member of the Bush family supported Hitler? I'm not saying it didn't happen, but the person just didn't seem to offer any proof.
George W and his brothers weren't born, so it wasn't them...
Was it George H? Prescott?
If you make unjustified silly statments, expect to come off like a dick.
In the vein of Democratic Underground I will know claim every poster there were rent-a-thugs for Saddam's regime. No proof, but hey, ideology trumps all!
Posted by: Quentin George at January 8, 2004 at 06:26 AMOh, and about Nazism for god's sake - Schroeder was the first Chancellor without ties to Nazism.
Sure, most of the ties were tenuous at most (Helmut Kohl was in the Hitler youth) but its hard to have lived in the regime and not had any contact with the ruling party.
Posted by: Quentin George at January 8, 2004 at 06:28 AM4) Killing JFK.
Bush born in 1946
JFK assassinated 1963.
Wasn't Bush to busy getting drunk when he was seventeen to go to Dallas, hide behind a grassy knoll and kill JFK?
Posted by: Quentin George at January 8, 2004 at 06:54 AMQuentin: It's Big George who has been accused of being in on the plot to kill Kennedy (he was in the CIA, you know). Prescott is the one who's accused of being cosy with the Nazis.
Posted by: Angie Schultz at January 8, 2004 at 07:40 AMBush = William Pitt the Younger
I wonder how that would look on a placard I would use to beat some pigs (geez, I'm dating myself) during a riot, er, street action about [insert self-righteous, self-indulgement, narcissistic lefty cause here]? How big would that placard have to be and what color and size font would maximize its exposure during the ensuing media photofest? Where can I get a wig big enough to fit on a 10-foot Pitt Puppet [TM]? Wouldn't it be way cool if William Pitt the Younger came lurching down the street on 12-foot stilts? Did Pitt have a Hitlerstache?
Back to my bowl...
Posted by: Tongue Boy at January 8, 2004 at 07:57 AMSandy P. wrote:
--There is factual evidence for comparing Bush to Hitler. Bush's family actually supported Hitler's regime.--
So did the Kennedys.
I reply:
Yup. And Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy was also a rather well documented anti-semite who was fond of sharing his good opinion of Hitler with anyone in London who would listen. Guess that disqualifies his rancid brood from public office.
Quentin:
I specifically said, "A number of threads on DemocraticUnderground, for one, have accused him AND HIS FAMILY of countless murders...."
No, DU posters did not accuse HIM of the Kennedy assassination, but they did accuse his father, who seems to fall within the ambit of his "family."
Blank:
As an additional point, DU posters accused Bush The Younger of causing the earthquake in Iran last week. Seriously. They argue that the military developed a weapon that could cause earthquakes, and that Bush DID name Iran as a part of the Axis of Evil, and therefore anyone with half a brain should be able to put 1+1 together....
So lose the claim that "At least Bush wasn't accused of having his friends killed a la Clinton." Here's a good encapsulation of The Rule According to DU: If a Bad Thing Happens Anywhere In the Solar System, It Is Bush's Fault.
Posted by: Jenna Talia at January 8, 2004 at 09:32 AMI was amused to observe that the Washington Times article describing the controversy is followed by some "content-relevant" advertising. If you look at the "Related Advertising Links" box below the article, you'll see that one of the rotating ads reads as follows:
Nazi Germany Mutter Medal
4 sale: Award established by Hitler Bronze enamel swastika honor cross
Howard Dean = Tamerlane
Dennis Kucinich = JoJo the Monkey Boy
John Kerry = Bluebeard
Al Sharpton = Huggy Bear
Help me out, guys. I'm dyin' here.
Posted by: JorgXMcKie at January 8, 2004 at 12:30 PMWhere can I get a wig big enough to fit on a 10-foot Pitt Puppet [TM]? Wouldn't it be way cool if William Pitt the Younger came lurching down the street on 12-foot stilts? Did Pitt have a Hitlerstache?
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page161.asp
Here's Pitt Jr. no Hitlerstache sorry.
Posted by: Quentin George at January 8, 2004 at 04:03 PMThe comments about Clinton killing his friends very nearly made it to the mainstream, being mentioned in magazines like Newsweek, though they didn't actually endorse the idea. I doubt any "Bush cause Iran earthquakes" ideas go nearly as far.
Guess who's been accused of being a Nazi now? Could it be Howard Dean? Why, yes it is!
http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/4965.htm
People can't help but compare anyone or anything they really have a passion against to Hitler/Nazis. It's not limited to the left wing by any stretch of the imagination.
Couple more responses:
"Heck, Howard Dean practically accused the President of knowing about the 9/11 attacks in advance...and he's not an internet conspiracy wacko (well, at least not technically), he's your leading candidate for the Democrat nomination for President."
He's taken a sore beating for that, but I don't buy that he actually believes it. I'm not saying it wasn't really stupid for Dean to bring it up, but it was a different kind of stupidity than actually believing such things.
"If one of President Bush's closest aides turned up in a D.C. park with a bullet in his brain, you scream yourself purple about how it was obvious that the BFEE (the Bush Family Evil Empire) murdered the aide."
I don't much care for evil empires, but an investigation would certainly be in order. Hell, if Democratic Congressman like Gary Condit can get subjected to the scrutiny he got (which is what I think you're referring to) then a Republican President could get the same treatment.
Posted by: _ at January 9, 2004 at 04:14 AM"_", you are crushing our dissent, just like the Nazis did in Germany.
_ = Hitler.
Posted by: Bob Bunnett at January 9, 2004 at 06:55 AMI have been a Republican for over 40 years and I would like to personally thank moveon.org for persuading more people to vote Republican with this silliness than I have been able to with all my efforts.
Really guys, thanks!
Regarding the "Prescott Bush was a Nazi" claim, here's Cecil Adams' critique of it:
Was President Bush's great-grandfather a Nazi?
My wacko roommate just eats up these conspiracy theories... another reason to find a new apartment!
Posted by: Varenius at January 9, 2004 at 10:25 AM